Looking For A Devotional?

Morning Coffee was created to help you spend consistent time in God’s Word.  If that’s your goal, this is a great place to start.  Currently, we aren’t publishing any new devotionals, but we have three complete series to help you connect with the Lord.  To access any of these series, simply click the link below.  This will take you to the first post of the set.  The posts run five a week (each weekday), so to find the next post look for the next calendar weekday as recorded on the top of the post.

Jonah: The Unwilling Prophet (3 week study)

Ephesians: Paul’s Crowning Achievement (a 7 week study)

Jesus and the Gospels: The Greatest Story Ever Told (a 19 week study)

Thank you for visiting Morning Coffee. 

Introducing a New Men’s Minister: Brian Radabaugh

Beginning July 1, 2009, Northwest will have a new Men’s Minister, Brian Radabaugh. Brian is currently serving as our Minister of Family.  The following is a letter from Brian detailing how the Lord has brought about this change in his life and position at Northwest:

During this past year, God has used you and many others to bring about a positive season of change in our children and student ministries. Today, we have a strong leadership team in both ministries; more volunteers than in the past several years—most of whom are renewing their commitment to serve again next year; and based on feedback from you and many of our parents, more effective programming in our children’s ministry. Each of you has played a significant role in making these improvements a reality. Know that your commitment to winning children and students to Christ is greatly appreciated.

While positive change has been taking place in family ministry, it has also been occurring in my personal life. Over the past eight months, I have been on a journey that has been invigorating and at times, scary. When one commits to praying and believing “Jesus, I want what you want”, one must be prepared for Him to move. The Lord has confirmed for me that He has made me to shepherd his people, and while serving as Family Minister has allowed me this opportunity, this particular role also requires gifts and abilities that are not my primary strengths.

On July 1, I will transition out of my role as Family Minister into the role of Men’s Minister. My primary responsibilities will be to shepherd and disciple men and to partner with my wife, Jennifer, to teach a Sunday morning equipping class for young married couples. During the past year, I have had many opportunities to invest in the lives of men and young couples. I believe God gave me these opportunities to confirm what He wants for me in this season of my life. I am excited about the potential impact that my new role will have on family ministry now and in the future.

Thank you men for your devotion to this ministry.

Summer Equipping: Jesus and the Gospels

If you enjoyed our study on Jesus this year, or if you want to spend more time in the Gospels this summer, I’d like to make you aware of a new class the Equipping Department at Northwest will be offering this summer entitled Jesus and the Gospels. I, along with a great friend Michael Ortiz, will be teaching this eight week long class.

Here are our three class goals:

1. To gain a greater appreciation of the reliability of the Gospels as sources concerning the historical life and purpose of Christ. The Gospels are constantly under attack by those claiming they cannot be trusted. We’ll spend time each class session defending the accuracy and reliability of our best witnesses to the work of Christ.

2. To grow in knowledge and understanding about the historical life and purpose of Christ by developing a synthetic framework of the Gospels. In a similar manner to our Morning Coffee study, our class will tell the story of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. Our hope is at the end of the class you will have a broad outline of Jesus’ ministry through investigating the witness of all four Gospels.

3. Live a devoted and transformed life resulting from the person of Jesus represented in the Gospels. This is our most important goal. Our ultimate aim is not biblical facts, but life change, and we believe—with the help of the Holy Spirit—knowledge about our Savior who offers life is a way to help encourage spiritual development.

We would love to have you join us this summer (or next fall). Class begins May 31.  Besides Jesus and the Gospels, you can also take several other classes entitled:

1. Art and the Kingdom of God
2. Difficult Questions of the Faith
3. Introduction to Peacemaking

Click here to register or to get more information.

By: Curtis W. Lindsey

Morning Coffee on a Coffee Break

Our journey through the life of Christ began 18 weeks ago. I hope you’ve enjoyed the study. (If you have, we’re always encouraged by your comments.)

We’ve received some very positive feedback, so we will be continuing the devotional. However, we’ll be on a short coffee break for the next few weeks. A hard date has not been set for the return of the devotionals, but when we get one, we’ll be sure to post it. The topic of our next study is still under discussion, although it will be something in the Old Testament. (If you have ideas, again, please let us know.)

Thanks for your continued faithfulness. God bless.

Are the Gospels Reliable?

Luke 1:1-4 ESV
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Question to Consider
Are the Gospels a reliable witness of Jesus?

Food For Thought
You may think the stories about Jesus are “neat,” “entertaining,” “potentially life-changing,” or “confusing.” But all of it means nothing, if at the end of the day the stories of Jesus are just that-stories. How can we really know the Gospels accurately record what really happened with Jesus?

We could spend weeks talking about this one issue. Entire books are written on this topic. There will always be an element of faith, but notice Luke doesn’t ask his readers to believe his word on faith alone. Luke spent time interviewing eyewitnesses and compiling the message of those who were preaching the gospel (the message of the early church). (See Luke 1:2 above.) Furthermore, Luke didn’t just write it down hastily; he spent time in his investigation so he could get the story correct (see v. 3).

At the end of the day, if the writers of the Gospels would have just made their stories up, then perhaps we would have no way of knowing. But the life of Christ changed people’s lives-people like Saul the persecutor of the church. Years later, Paul writes of this Jesus tradition, and if he would have been making this up, at least those “five hundred brothers” (1 Corinthians 15:6 above), would have stood up and yelled “liar!”

Moment of Reflection
This weekend (May 1-2, 2009), Northwest Bible Church is hosting a class taught by Dr. Daniel Wallace, a man who has spent his life asking this question: is the New Testament reliable? Come join us, where you’ll have an opportunity to engage in an interactive demonstration which will help your faith in God’s reliable Word. It’s not too late to sign up! Sign up here.

Closing Prayer
Father, thank you for the reliability of your Word. Amen.

Jesus, we want what you want.

By: Curtis W. Lindsey